Chess Lover Is Offering Free Classes For Kids, Adults

He aims to prove that claim by offering weekly chess classes at the Vernon Community Center, starting June 18.

The free classes from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. are for children and adults, Wright said.

``I'm hoping to draw families,'' Wright said. ``I can guarantee anybody, anytime, I can teach them to play. If they already know how to play, I can improve their game so they can win.''

His technique is to break the game down to the basics, he said, starting with setting up the board correctly.

``I love playing chess. I always played -- right through the Bobby Fischer era,'' when the sport captured the international spotlight, he said.

A 1965 Rockville High School graduate, Wright said he learned from a cousin when he was a child. He now works at Rein's New York Style Deli-Restaurant, where he's a grill cook, and Ritz Camera Centers at Buckland Mall.

Wright hopes his classes will attract people from all over town to the community center, which has been open at 3 Prospect St. in Rockville since December.

The building, next to the Rockville fire station, was renovated for use as a community center for young people aged 10 to 18, director Liz Torrey said.

The center is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30 to 5 p.m. Visitors can play computer games, watch a large-screen television, play pool, pingpong or foosball, work out with free weights, or do homework. Plans are in the works to offer piano lessons on the donated piano at the center, Torrey said.

Eventually, the center will include activities for both young and old, she said.

``We are motivated by youth, but we're here to serve various needs of the community,'' Torrey said.